FIG. 1 is a diagram of a screen 50 including a conventional toolbar 52. The toolbar 52 has selections 54-60. Such selections can include labels such as File, Edit, Insert, Format, for example. When a selection such as Insert 60 is selected, an Insert drop-down menu 62 appears with more selections. A user then moves a mouse pointer (not shown) down the Insert drop-down menu 62 to make another selection. If a selection AutoText 64 is selected, an AutoText drop-down menu 64 appears with more selections. Again, the user moves the mouse pointer down the AutoText drop-down menu 64 to make another selection. If a selection Title 66 is selected, a Title drop-down menu 67 appears with more selections. Finally, a selection of a function Fax 68 executes a function associated with the function Fax 68.
The problem with conventional tool bars is that using them takes up a significant amount of space on the screen. Still referring to FIG. 1, a quarter to a third of the screen is covered with drop-down menus. It is possible that even more of the screen can be covered with drop-down menus, depending on the size of the drop-down menus and/or the number of drop-down menus that are required to reveal a particular selection.
Furthermore, the drop-down menus block text or images in the background, making viewing the background inconvenient if the user needs to refer to such text or images while navigating through the drop-down menus. If the user needs to refer to a portion of the background that is hidden by the drop-down menus, the user needs to clear the drop-down menus.
Furthermore, it is inconvenient and inefficient for a user to have to move the mouse pointer across the screen for long distances. For example, referring to FIG. 1, the mouse pointer does not simply travel from the Insert selection 60 to the function Fax 68. Rather, the mouse pointer must zigzag through the drop-down menus 62, 64, and 67 to get the function Fax 68. If the mouse pointer inadvertently leaves the intended path, e.g., a selection is erroneously made, the mouse pointer must either backtrack or the drop-down menus must be cleared for the mouse pointer to start over.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for making menu selections more efficient. The present invention addresses such a need.